[Written and Illustrated Expressly for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker.] 
THE RECTOR’S STORY: 
A. TALE O te X M Id CHIC A. (* O FIRE. 
Amid their own dtsraay. 
Mon paused to see that tender child, 
Surrouudod by a scene so wild. 
Undaunted hold her way. 
The driving sand before the gale 
Beat in that tiny face no pale— 
Red cinders (tiled the air. 
And Jets of flru, und tongues of flame. 
Around her temples went and came, 
And singed her flowing hair; 
Hut still she over onward pressed. 
Holding her treasure to her breast, 
Nor yet could safety And ; 
For miles along the burning street 
She hastened on with winged feet — 
Death following close behind. 
At length, beyond the city’s hound, 
She sank exhausted to the ground. 
Amid the crowd unknown ; 
No father's arm, no mother’s breast 
On which her weary head might rost— 
A friendless child, alone. 
Two days in cold and hunger passed, 
A night beneath the starry waste, 
Before the child was found ; 
And ever to her faithful breast. 
The precious casket still was pressed— 
. Both llttlo arms twined round. 
And so they brought the child to mo. 
For she declared It might not bo 
That other bunds should tuko 
The trust confided to her care ; 
And so they yielded to her prayer, 
For teuder pity's sake. 
I took the casket from her grasp, 
That lingered with a loving elnsp, 
A nd thou a gusli of tears, 
The first her gentle oyes had shed, 
Made many a strong man turn his head 
Who had not wept for years. 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
BY ANDREW H, SMITH, M. I), 
Our Children j Their Physical and Mental Devel¬ 
opment -By AUGUSTUS K. GARDNER, A. M.. M. 
D. Hartford, Ct.: Belknap & Bliss. 
No more important subject for a good 
book, tban the above, could bo chosen, and 
Dr. Gardner appears to have given it deep 
and practical thought. It is aimed to tell 
parents how to rear healthy children. Tic 
truly says:—“Few very healthy men are 
deeply depraved. This natural happiness 
drives away temptation from many; and 
vigor of body is the basis for a robust mor¬ 
ality.’' This is the key-note of the book 
under notice. Tie treats of nearly every 
topic connected with child-life in a common 
sense and interesting manner. Like most 
professional writers, he lugs a few prescrip¬ 
tions for the apothecary into the last part 
of the volume. They are mostly simple. 
The book is illustrated, and is a good com¬ 
panion volume for every family. It has 840 
pagos, and is handsomely bound. 
All this f lu* eve before, was seen, 
With a still joy that lies between 
Earth and the regions blest; 
Enough of Earth to make it real. 
Enough of Heaven to reveal 
A foretaste of its rest. 
Unit Truths and the Truth. By Rev. .1. M. 
MANNING, D. D. Boston . Lee A Shepard. 
Any work from the pastor of the Old 
South Church of Boston is sure of being 
readable. Dr. Manning is a professor in the 
Andover Theological Seminary, where he 
lectures on the relations of Christianity to 
Infidelity. In this book he treats of the 
“Origin and. development of prevailing 
forms of unbelief, considered in relation to 
the nature and claims of the Christian sys¬ 
tem.” The spirit, of this work is admirable, 
since it is temperate and broad. It treats 
of t he Pantheism of Spinoza. Another vol¬ 
ume will be devoted to the Positivism of 
Comte. Every one who is interested in 
these discussions, and who wishes to know 
what an able exponent of Christianity can 
say against Pa ntheism, will do well to read 
“Half Truths and the Truth.” The volume 
is a handsome one of 400 pages, printed on 
tinted paper. 
Character. - By Samuel smiles. New York: 
Harper A Brothers. 
The essays embraced in this volume are 
both interesting and, In the main, sensible. 
The topics treated are. Influence of Charac¬ 
ter, Home Power, Companionship and ex¬ 
ample, Work, Courage, Self-Control, Duty 
and Truthfulness, Temper, Manner and Art, 
Companionship of Books, Companionship in 
Marriage, and The Discipline of Experience. 
Incidentally, much wisdom upon related 
subjects, and many happy and entertaining 
illustrations or examples are interwoven in 
the text. It, is a pleasant, book to read. 
The morning came, a blackened pilo 
Was all that transept, nave and aisle 
Had left to murk the spot, 
Hallowed by Umderest memories. 
And joys Hie nearest Paradise 
That full to mortal lot. 
A moment ore the holy place 
Felt the destroyer's dread embrace. 
Breathless I reached the door, 
And there l found a child whose head 
Scarce seven summers yet, had sped 
With golden pinions o’er : 
One of my flock, whose childish breast 
The love of holy things impressed, 
Impelling her to seek 
The chance to rescue what she could 
Most precious, from the llery flood; 
Stout heart for hands so weak. • 
BREATHLESS I REACHED THE DOOR. 
At night we laid us down to rest, 
In homes as tranquil and as blest 
As mortals could desire ; 
Ere morning dawned they sorved t,o light; 
Our footsteps In our frenzied flight 
Before a sea of flro. 
The horrors of that fearful hour 
Transcend the reach of human power. 
In language to present. 
I will not try t.o more than tell 
As best I may, or ill, or well, 
one little incident. 
Our burning homes with lurid light 
O’ercame the darkness of the night,. 
Guiding oar footsteps whore 
The records of the church were stored 
And vessels holy t.o the Loud 
K ept with a reverent care. 
We hud an altar service rare, 
Valued by us beyond compare— 
The offering of love; 
It told a tale of by-gone years, 
Of tender memories, parting tears, 
Of treasure stored ubove. 
"SHE SANK EXHAUSTED TO THE GROUND.” 
Our hearts with deep emotion filled, 
While gazing on the fragile child, 
And each one breathed a prayor 
That so much faithfulness and truth, 
Joined with such innocence and youth, 
Might Heaven's blessing share. 
Ttir gold and silver, hallowed 
By sacred memories of the dead. 
Were in the vessels wrought; 
The cup that baby lips had pressed. 
The heirloom plate, with ancient crest, 
From o'er the ocean brought. 
Tne ornaments that added grace 
(If such could be; to loveliness 
Now molded ng in the dust; 
The bridal ring of one since gone, 
Or, sadder yet, the token worn 
By beauty loved anil lost. 
Aunt Putty’s Scrap finer.— By Caroline Lee 
Hkntz. Illustrated by F. U. C. Darley. Philadel¬ 
phia . T, B. Peterson A Brothers. 
Mrs. Hentz has long been known as a 
pleasing writer, and to many readers she 
will need no introduction. She bas publish¬ 
ed at least a dozen volumes of romauce be¬ 
fore this, all of which have been well receiv¬ 
ed. Thestory of “ Aunt Patty’s Scrap Bag” 
is well told and will interest both old and 
young people. Tho book is illustrated and 
grows quite sensational before it closes. 
As long us human hearts shall swell. 
When men of deeds of courage tell, 
Let tills remembered bn ; 
The victor of the bloodiest Held 
Might well the wreath of honor yield 
To Louie Endekly. 
I seized the enskot which contained 
This service, but there yet remained 
Records of priceless worth. 
I turned me. half Irresolute, 
To where that childish figure stood— 
The frailest, thing on earth. 
She caught the question from my eyes 
Her ready arms received the prize ; 
Then, like a flash of light, 
She darted down the narrow aisle, 
Turned for a moment, with a smile, 
Then vanished la the night. 
From stranger lips, in after days, 
I heard the tribute of her praise; 
HOLDINQ HER TREASURE TO HER BREAST 
The church our loving hands hud reared 
From swift destruction was not, spared— 
The heavenward pointing spire, 
The nave that to the organ's swell 
Re-echoed tones we loved so well, 
The transept and the choir: 
Hymns nl I’rnyer null Praise. New York : A. 
S. Barnes A Co. 
This hymnal has been prepared for indi¬ 
vidual, family and social worship, and has 
been compiled mainly from “ Hymns of 
tlie Church,” embracing its choicest selec¬ 
tions. Music accompanies tho Hymns, and 
those who believe in Music in the Family, 
and that the healthful heart and spirit 
should always give praise, will want this 
little volume. 
June on the Oliaini, and other Poems. By W, H. 
Venable. Cincinnati: R. W. Carroll A Co., 
Mr, Venable is an Ohio poet, of the same 
school as John James Piatt, Ilia poems 
possess more than usual interest to the gen¬ 
eral reader. Some of them are very sweet, 
while others show much pathos. “ The Peo¬ 
ple’s President ” xvill find many admirers. 
The collection makes a handsome little 
volume. _ 
Fair to See. A Novel. By Lawrence W. M. 
Lockhart. New York: Harper A Brothers. 
A story of English life, opening with a 
hunting scene in the Highlands of Scotland. 
Of course tho interest of the romauce turns 
upon tho marriage of a young lady, after 
much intriguing. A certain phaso of Eng¬ 
lish life appears to be graphically depicted, 
and the book is written with much vigor. 
BEFORE AND AFTER 
A THRILLING ROMANCE OF THE 
WAR FOR THE UNION. 
The chancel whore with bended knee 
We took the hallowed mystery, 
Or plighted troth was given ; 
The porch, where from our sight were hid 
The features of our sainted dead, 
Till seen again In Heaven : 
Written Expressly for Moore's Rural New-Yorker, 
BY TWO WELL-KNOWN AUTHORS. 
[Continued from page 74.] 
Ill.-Preparlng for the Holidays. 
“ Aunty Mimv ?” 
“Lord sabe dis nigger! It is de young 
Missus!" 
Tho negroes were so absorbed in their 
singing, that they failed to hear Marga¬ 
ret’s light step, and she stood in the mid¬ 
dle of the cabin, with her hand on Aunty 
Mimv’k shoulder, before she was observed. 
There was the circle of slaves, in tlicir gro¬ 
tesque costumes and attitudes, suddenly 
struck dumb by the sippearance of the girl. 
In their midst, she stood, her soft, white 
wrapper trailing on the lloor, her long, dark 
hair covering her graceful shoulders, the lire 
lighting with a strange glow her colorless 
face, and giving a wonderful intensity to 
her earnest eyes. The slaves bad never seen 
their sweet young mistress look so xpirit- 
uellc before. They gazed at, her almost in 
awe, and waited for her to speak. 
“ Aunty Mimy,” said she, “ i thought 
you knew better than this. Haven’t you 
heard my father’s orders about the slaves 
singing at night?" 
“ Bruys de Lord, chile, we done sot here, 
and we tuLk about the chillen of Isrel, and 
de Red Sea, and how old Pharou and ail 
de hosts done got swallowed up, and fust 
Rending Without Tears; or, A Pleasant Mode 
of learning to Read. New York: Harper A 
Brothers. 
This is, it seems to us, just what it is pre¬ 
tended it is, a graduated mode of ascending 
from letters to words and from words to 
sentences. It is a neat and attractive little 
volume, suitable for all beginners, whether 
children or adults. 
I TOOK THE CASKET THOM HER GRASP, THAT LINGERED WITH A LOVING CLASP 
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